Action movies have been flooding the big screen lately
(think The Incredible Hulk, Shaolin Girl, Get Smart), so Youth.SG recommends
one tear jerker for those yearning for a movie experience with a healthy dosage
of laughter and tears: 10 Promises to My Dog, an adaptation of the Japanese poem Ten
Commandments of Dog Ownership.
10 Promises to My Dog unfolds the relationship between a
Japanese schoolgirl Akari Saito (Mayuko Fukuda, L Change the World) and a
golden retriever she found on her house backyard. She names her newfound pet
Socks because of the dog’s white paw markings. Just before Akari’s mother
(Reiko Takashima) dies of cancer, she gets her daughter to make 10 promises to
Socks, and soon the storyline revolves around the progression of their
relationship and whether Akari’s promises were kept. She reflects the promises
made through a sketchbook filled with drawings by her mother in relation to the
ten promises (über cute by the way!).
It might sound like an ordinary story with a girl and her
pet dog, but the water runs deep in this story as the dog becomes an
indispensable companion in her life, especially when her mother passes away and
her doctor father returns home only late at night. The storyline’s refreshing
take with perspectives from both the owner and the dog enthralled me even with
predictable plot turns.
As per a typical Japanese movie, lots of close-up shots were
used by director Katsuhide Motoki, especially of Socks. In addition, to sweeten
movie, there are numerous sugar-coated (yet amazingly not over-the-top) love
scenes, such as one of Akari’s schoolmate Hoshi Susumu (Ryo Kase, Letters from Iwo
Jima) playing Pachelbel’s Canon during a touching classical guitar
recital. But nothing can beat the end scene **SPOILER ALERT!**, when Akari goes
through the sketchbook that her late mother has left her. In the theatre, the
sobbing six-year-old girl sitting beside me and many others (even guys) were
tantamount to the scene’s ability to tug at many heart strings.
Extra credit must be given to two of the cast - Akari’s
father, Mr Saito (Etsushi Toyokawa, Loft) and the young Socks – for adding
humour into the sorrowful story. Toyokawa added hilarity even during the
saddest scene, bringing smiles to our face and encouragement to always look on
the positive side. As for the canine, he inspires adoration. How can you not go
“Awww” when a dog gets cherry blossoms onto his nose? I have never seen a
golden retriever so expressive. This unquestionably goes to show just how
talented the dog trainer Tadaomi Miya (Quill, Helen the Baby Fox) is.
One thing that could have been improved were the
computer-generated effects. I could hear some of the audience members mutter
“So fake!” when the dog’s tail was CGI-ed to wag cheaply. It didn’t help that
these were glorified close-up shots.
Ending the sentimental movie appropriately with Korean
singer BoA’s Be With You, 10 Promises to My Dog is all about the incredible
power of healing and how one creature’s fierce loyalty to her may just be all
you need to weather a world that is against you.
If you found that way too cheesy and boring, 10 Promises to My
Dog is not the movie for you. And for the rest, I am sure you will make the
same ten promises with your dog (if you have one).
Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership
1. Listen patiently to what I say.
2. Trust me, for I am always by your side.
3. Play with me a lot.
4. Don’t forget that I have feelings too.
5. Let’s never fight.
6. If I don’t obey you, I have a good reason.
7. You have school and friends, but as for me, I only have
you.
8. Stay as my best friend even when I’m old.
9. I’ll only live for ten years, so let’s make every moment
count
10. I’ll never forget the life together. So when the time
comes, remember I’ll always be by your side.
Action movies have been flooding the big screen lately
(think The Incredible Hulk, Shaolin Girl, Get Smart), so 
Extra credit must be given to two of the cast - Akari’s
father, Mr Saito (Etsushi Toyokawa, Loft) and the young Socks – for adding
humour into the sorrowful story. Toyokawa added hilarity even during the
saddest scene, bringing smiles to our face and encouragement to always look on
the positive side. As for the canine, he inspires adoration. How can you not go
“Awww” when a dog gets cherry blossoms onto his nose? I have never seen a
golden retriever so expressive. This unquestionably goes to show just how
talented the dog trainer Tadaomi Miya (Quill, Helen the Baby Fox
(0 vote)
